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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 06 BEIJING 003065
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPT, FOR, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/DO, DS/TIA/OSAC, DS/P/MECU,
DS/TIA/ITA, DS/DO/P, DS/ICI/CI, DS/T/ATA, DS/TIA,
DS/TIA/PII, DS/CC, EAP/CM, S/CT, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, PASS TO
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) OPERATIONS
CENTER, HONG KONG FOR RSO AND LEGAT AND USSS, SHANGHAI FO
RSO, SHENYANG FOR RSO,CHENGDU FOR RSO, GUANGZHOU FOR RSO,
USSS HQS FOR INV, OPO, HNL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2038
TAGS: ASECCASCCHCMGTECONKOLYOVIPPRELPTER
SUBJECT: BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT
9, 08/09/2008
REF: A. BEIJING 3035
¶B. BEIJING 3049
¶C. BEIJING 3060
Classified By: DCM Dan Piccuta for reason 1.4 (b), (d)
¶1. (SBU) The following cable provides information on
security, public diplomacy, political, and consular
activities related to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games
as of 08/09/2008.
¶2. (U) The interagency USG Joint Operations Center (JOC) can
be contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers:
- JOC Direct Line: 011-86-010-6532-6966.
- U.S. Embassy Beijing: 011-86-010-6532-3431, JOC extension
¶6200.
- JOC fax: 011-86-010-6532-4763.
- STE and fax: 011-86-010-6532-5163.
KEY ISSUES
----------
¶3. (SBU) The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games kicked off
at 8:08 p.m. on 08/08/2008 with a successful Opening
Ceremony. Over 90,000 spectators at the National "Bird's
Nest" Stadium witnessed an event that featured thousands of
drummers, floating Olympic rings, and acrobats who seemed to
defy gravity, as well as highlights of China's history and
culture. A U.S. Embassy officer and USG Diplomatic Security
Field Liaison Officers (FLO) present in the stadium confirmed
the existence of concentric rings of robust Olympic security
measures, including multiple ticket checks, the use of facial
recognition technology, and bag and body searches with
handheld magnetometers. Despite the large crowd, the
security measures were not time-consuming and the Embassy
officer reported that it took only 14 minutes to move from
the parking area through the security checkpoints.
¶4. (SBU) The U.S. Embassy's American Citizen's Services
(ACS) was notified at approximately 1300 hours on 08/09/2008
about the stabbing of three Americans at the Drum and Bell
Tower in the Dongcheng District of Beijing. One of the
victims has died of their injuries while the other two have
been taken to Peking Union Hospital. According to the U.S.
Olympic Committee (USOC), the victims are the father-in-law,
mother-in-law, and wife of an assistant coach of the U.S.
Men's volleyball team. Preliminary information suggests that
the incident was a murder-suicide; however, specific details
regarding the incident, including the motive of the attacker,
are unknown at this time. U.S. Embassy officers, including
medical staff, have been dispatched to the scene and to the
hospital to assist the family.
SECURITY ISSUES
---------------
¶5. (U) Incidents: Suspicious Package in Hong Kong:
According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
police cordoned off part of the Causeway Bay station--one of
the city,s busiest train stations--on 08/08/2008 after a
suspicious package was discovered there. The Regional
Security Officer (RSO) in Hong Kong advised that officers of
the Hong Kong Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau evacuated
the area and detonated the object; they later confirmed that
it was a hoax bomb made from three wires taped to a signal
flare. Police have stated that the incident was not
connected to the Olympics or to terrorism and a spokesperson
for the railway station indicated that there were no injuries
or damage to the station during the incident. Causeway Bay
is a large shopping district located next to Victoria Park,
which contains a large screen television where the public
could watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
¶6. (U) Air China Bomb Threat: According to the Hong Kong
AFP, an Air China passenger plane en route to China on
08/08/2008 was forced to return to Japan after the airline's
Tokyo office received an e-mail from an unidentified
individual threatening to crash Air China flights into
Olympic sites. Xinhua, China,s official state media,
subsequently reported that five Air China flights that had
been delayed at Japanese airports were allowed to depart
after police searched the aircraft and found no explosives.
Air China ordered other flights from Japan not to take off
until their security could be ensured.
¶7. (S) Threats: Bomb Threat Near Beijing: According to
tearline information, "Olympics security forces in Beijing
were aware of a possible bomb threat on 08/08/2008. The
threatened attack was to take place within three miles of
Beijing, and may have been planned by Tibetan separatists."
For additional information, please refer to the 1700 Threat
Integration Center (TIC) Olympics situation report dated
08/08/2008, which is available via the National
Counterterrorism Center,s NCTC Online site.
¶8. (SBU) Olympic Protests: Pro-Tibetan Demonstrators
Detained: Three American members of the pro-Tibet group
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) were detained the evening of
08/08/2008 and deported on 08/09/2008 for attempting to
unfurl Tibetan flags near the National Stadium (the Bird's
Nest) shortly before the start of the Opening Ceremony.
Following the incident, SFT posted a press release,
photographs of the protest and bios of the three protesters
on its website (http://freetibet2008.org). At approximately
2140 hours the same night, a representative of SFT called ACS
to report the detentions and to provide information on the
protesters. The caller had previously informed ACS about two
Americans who unfurled "Free Tibet" banners on a light pole
near the Bird's Nest on 08/06/2008. (Note: The above three,
as well as the two Americans deported for hanging "Free
Tibet" banners and the American of Tibetan descent who was
turned around at Beijing Capital International Airport on
08/07/2008, are all affiliated with Students for a Free
Tibet. End Note).
¶9. (U) Protest at Corporate Event: According to
information available to Overseas Security Advisory Council
(OSAC) representatives in the JOC, on 08/08/2008
demonstrators unfurled a banner at a U.S. Olympics corporate
sponsor event in Beijing's Chaoyang Park. According to an
eyewitness, three men and one woman of possibly Nepalese,
Northern Indian or Western Chinese ethnicity attempted to
display two banners in English, Chinese and several other
languages. When asked by event security to desist, the
protesters asked to stay but ultimately departed the area.
Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers briefly spoke with the
protesters and allowed them to leave without detaining them.
¶10. (SBU) Olympic Protest Zones: U.S. Embassy officers
conducting routine observations of Beijing's designated
protest zones have noted no significant activity in those
areas. As previously reported, it is unclear how many, if
any, applications for protest have been approved by Chinese
officials.
¶11. (U) Protests in Hong Kong: A number of protests
occurred in Hong Kong on 08/08/2008 in advance of the
Olympics Equestrian Events Opening Ceremony. According to
the South China Morning Post (SCMP), political activist Matt
Pearce scaled Hong Kong,s Tsing Ma Bridge and hung two
banners calling for freedom, democracy, and human rights in
China. Pearce, who is reportedly known to dress up as
Spiderman and other characters when conducting protests, was
subdued by firefighters and detained for questioning. Later
in the afternoon, a group of Chinese dissidents conducted a
"Citizen's Walk," holding pro-democracy banners and shouting
slogans for freedom. Additional demonstrations are
reportedly expected on 08/09/2008, when members of the "Hong
Kong Alliance in Support of Democratic Movements in China"
will protest near the Sha Tin Olympic venue to draw attention
to China's human rights record. Separately, SCMP reported
that unidentified Chinese dissidents plan to "test
immigration control at the Lo Wu border during the Olympics."
¶12. (SBU) Worldwide Protests: According to information
available to Diplomatic Security, there was a significant
uptick in China-related protests in the U.S., coinciding with
the 08/08/2008 Opening Ceremony. In San Francisco, Buddhist
monks carrying Tibetan flags led several hundred protesters
on a march across the Golden Gate Bridge. In New York City,
approximately 750 members of the Tibetan community gathered
in front of the Chinese Mission to the UN and the Chinese
Consulate. In Chicago, approximately 350 Tibetan
demonstrators marched to the Chinese Consulate to protest the
treatment of Tibetans in China. In Washington, DC, a small
crowd demonstrated in front of the new Chinese Embassy.
Protests also occurred elsewhere around the globe. In
Turkey, a member of China's Uighur minority set himself on
fire in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ankara. In New
Delhi, nearly 3,000 Tibetans shouted anti-China slogans
during a protest near India's parliament and in Nepal,
larger-than usual crowds gathered in front of the Chinese
Embassy in Kathmandu on 08/07/2008 and 08/08/2008 to protest
for religious freedom in Tibet. (Please see Kathmandu 891,
dated 08/08/2008, for additional information on the Kathmandu
protests.)
SECURITY OPERATIONS
-------------------
¶13. (SBU) FLOs Present During Opening Ceremony: USG
Diplomatic Security FLOs provided situational awareness
reporting from the National Bird's Nest Stadium throughout
the Olympics Opening Ceremony on 08/08/2008. The FLOs were
originally assigned to accompany the U.S. Olympic team during
the Ceremony but were forced to attend the event as
spectators after Chinese officials earlier in the week denied
their request for venue access (ref. b). The FLOs were
seated in proximity to the field and one level below the VIP
section; four additional FLOs were strategically stationed on
the Olympic Green to provide support in case of an incident.
They observed that the security within the stadium was
adequate to the event, given the size of the crowd and the
atmosphere.
¶14. (SBU) USG Olympic Personnel in IPC: The Deputy Olympic
Security Coordinator (DOSC) for Diplomatic Security and the
Federal Bureau of Investigations' (FBI) Olympic Coordinator
were located in the Chinese International Police Center (IPC)
during the Opening Ceremonies. The DOSC monitored the event
with police counterparts from a number of nations, including
Great Britain and New Zealand. The IPC was set up by Chinese
authorities to facilitate the sharing of law enforcement
information between countries with Olympic equities.
¶15. (SBU) Accreditations Received: On 08/09/2008, the
Olympic Security Coordinator (OSC) received the four
remaining accreditations for Qingdao FLOs; the credentials
were originally delayed by processing issues (ref. a). All
other FLOs received their credentials on 08/04/2008 and have
been deployed to the Olympic venues. A field test of FLO
radios will be conducted on 08/09/2008.
¶16. (S/NF) Increased Security for Opening Ceremony: On
08/08/2008, the U.S. Defense Attache Office (DAO) in Beijing
observed three times as many security personnel in Tiananmen
Square and on the Olympic Green for the Opening Ceremony as
had been stationed in these locations during ceremony
rehearsals. The increased numbers included the presence of
Beijing police and People,s Liberation Army (PLA) units.
The use of People,s Armed Police (PAP) cadets and PLA forces
at outer perimeter points at the Olympic Green indicate that
more experienced units were potentially relocated to
Tiananmen Square for crowd control. Despite the security
presence at the Olympic Green, some lapses did occur; at the
start of the Opening Ceremony, DAO personnel reported that
security forces partially lost control of over 100 Chinese
civilians who ran up the Fourth Ring Road exit to gain access
to the road running up the west side of the Olympic Green.
(Please see IIR 6 814 1772 08, dated August 8, for additional
details.)
¶17. (C/NF) Hong Kong CBRN Response in Place: As of
08/01/2008, a Chemical Biological Radiation Nuclear (CBRN)
Response Group had been set up in Hong Kong, headed by the
Hong Kong Discipline Services (HKDS). Within the HKDS, the
Hong Kong Explosive Ordnance Division is the first responder
that assesses and reacts to any potential or actual CBRN
threat. There are also large-scale decontamination sites
erected at two main Olympic venues, Sha Tin and Beas River.
The two sites are in addition to the one in the Sheraton
Hotel where many athletes will be housed. The equipment will
remain on standby throughout the Olympics. (Please see IIR 6
842 0461 08, dated August 8, for additional details.)
VIPS
----
¶18. (SBU) USG Delegation: The USG Delegation to the
Olympics Opening Ceremony, headed by the President of the
United States, attended the Olympics opening event without
incident on 08/08/2008. The Delegation is scheduled to
depart Beijing on 08/11/2008.
¶19. (SBU) Other U.S. VIPs: Former Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney arrived in Beijing and attended the Opening
Ceremony on 08/08/2008. Prior to his departure from the
United States, Romney made public comments criticizing
China's decision to revoke the visa of former Olympic speed
skater Joey Cheek.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
-------------------------------
¶20. (U) There was no significant information or activity to
report.
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
----------------
¶21. (U) Please refer to paragraph 4 for information on
recent Consular actions.
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
-----------------
¶22. (SBU) Xinjiang Bombing Report Appears to be Inaccurate:
On 08/08/2008, Al-Jazeera reported a bombing had killed nine
people in Yili, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. U.S.
Embassy officers reviewed both local and foreign press for
additional information on the alleged incident, with negative
results. A U.S. Embassy political officer spoke with an
officer at the Yili Public Security Bureau, who stated that
she could "definitively guarantee" that there were "no such
incidents in Yili."
RANDT